Queens Comfort (Pt 2)

Peanut Butter & Jelly - Skippy Peanut Butter, Grape Jelly, Smoked Bacon

 

 

Mac & Cheese

 Chicken & Waffle – Tabasco Glaze, Maple Syrup, Powdered Sugar

Free-form Tamale with Smoked Pork

The Billionares Salad with Brown Sugar Bacon, Mesclun, Blue Cheese, Poached Egg, Maple Vin

Ring of Fire - Batter Fried Jalapeno & Bell Peppers, Cheddar, Sriracha Aioli (Left)

 Meatloaf Sandwich – Cheddar, Onion Rings, Bacon Ketchup (Right)

House-made Jalapeno Poppers

The Wall of Queens Comfort

In the year or so since I've first reviewed Queens Comfort, I've eaten here nearly 20 times.  It has become my go to place for brunch; when guests are in town and want something funky and fun; weekly dinners with my father who is notoriously picky but loves this place; even for Friday date night with my wife (which is appropriate because our pictures are on the wall). No matter the occasion (aside from perhaps a formal celebratory dinner), this is my place for local delicious food.  The servers seem like old friends, the chef/owner is thankful and passionate about what he serves, and they have an awesome collection of cook books for viewing.  This is a true neighborhood spot where you see the owners of other local restaurants splitting the mac and cheese and nearly every table has friends sharing a bottle of wine or a 6-pack, taking advantage of the BYOB policy, enjoying a few hours while B-movies and classic wrestling moments play on the projector screen.

They have listened to their customers feedback and incorporated change when needed.  Instead of the frozen lego, they now serve a thick fluffy homemade waffle with a tabasco glaze and the most amazing boneless fried chicken breast.  They still serve alot of the delirious southern inspired comfort food with a twist, but now they serve more Mexican food.  The owner Donnie cooks wonderful Mexican food, my favorite dish being his free-form tamale and smoked pork.  The homemade Jalapeno Poppers are the best I've ever had.  Huge, plump jalapenos with the seeds included, fried to a perfect crisp, yet not greasy at all. 

I've had most of the menu and there is not much that is not memorable and delicious.  The Disco Tots with Tater Tots, Sawmill Gravy, Cheddar are a perfect fried snack to share, rich and cream, and begging for the vinegary hot sauce.  The Billionares Salad with Brown Sugar Bacon, Mesclun, Blue Cheese, Poached Egg, Maple Vin is a fantastic spin on a cob.  The flavor is massive, its a perfect start to the meal.

The Peanut Butter, Jelly & Bacon burger is amazing!  It is not as funky as it sounds, its actually a good balance of sweet, salty and umami.  The melting Peanut Butter looks like sharp cheddar cheese but the sweetness reminds me of ketchup.  That may be my favorite burger at QC, but all of them are fantastic.  Served with a huge pile of crispy house-made shoestring french fries.  Absolutely delicious.

The other sandwiches are also worth ordering.  The house-made fresh bologna with a fried egg is excellent and has a very meaty rich flavor.  The Meatloaf Sandwich with Cheddar, Onion Rings, Bacon Ketchup is a huge mess of delicious tender meatloaf paired perfectly with the crunch of a thick Onion Ring.  Even my non onion eating father loved the crunch and taste of the ring.

I love the music they play, the prices are very affordable, the service is attentive friendly and casual, and the vibe is perfect.  This place is a real neighborhood gem, and I look forward to many more meals here.

BareBurger

Interesting night.  Excellent burgers.  Other things can be improved but overall very cool, fun place with good food.  To start we ordered the fries which were not as crispy as they should have been.  They are not double fried, which is easy to do, but they are still good and well seasoned.  I enjoyed 2 of the 3 sauces, decent, but nothing memorable.

Onto the burgers, I had the MAUI WOWIE BURGER... AMAZING!  But let me clarify, the burger itself was well cooked and thick as a burger should be, but on the lean side.  That is not a bad thing, certainly when I cook burgers at home I'm looking for a lean piece of meat to ground, (90%/10% ground chuck is my usual mix) but when I go out on a Friday night and order a burger I expect it to be juicy.  This was not.  It's surprising to see such a lean burger as the only Beef variety as they also offer the much leaner Ostrich.  That said, the toppings, buns and sauce really took this burger to the next level.  I've never had smoked mozzarella on a burger and it might become my favorite topping ever!  The smokiness was just perfect, and way more intense than the usual smokiness you get from a bacon burger.  This burger left a smoky, umami aftertaste, just awesome.  The only thing that was a miss for me was the canned pineapple, I would have much preferred grilled fresh pineapple.  The other burger at the table was BIG BLUE BACON BURGER which was also very good, thoroughly enjoyed by the table.  

After a 2nd visit I have to recommend the Lamb burger!  Rich and gamey, but not that funky, although clearly lamb.  Loved this burger! I thought it would be dry but it was actually much more juicy than the beef burger, and with much more flavor.  We also tried an additional sauce this visit, the pesto mayo, and again it was a disappointment.  I was also confused as i expected it to be some shade of green, and it was instead light pink... Perhaps they gave me the wrong sauce?  Decent but not memorable and one note kinda sauce.

Overall fun place with good to excellent food.  Good prices for the area, the pitchers of beer are super affordable.  The service is decent, they certainly do not rush you, they let you sit and drink which is nice.  However our waitress ignored me twice... The first time I thought maybe she did not see me, but twice?  Really?  Oh well, it reflected in her tip... And it is not a reflection on the rest of the staff, the busboy, runner, and hostess were all very nice, as was the waitress until she ignored me.  I really enjoyed the vibe, music, decorations, and of course the food.  Good value also.  Great location and highly recommended!

Cronin & Phelan's

My favorite pub in Astoria.  I'm not much of a drinker so i come here for the food alone, its worth it.  They always have a great selection of specials, tons of variety.  They food is as expected served in large portions, heavy, filling, and delirious.  The burgers are great, typical juicy burger, great toppings.  The wings are huge, well fried and offered with a good selection of sauces, typical quality wings.  The soups are always something we enjoy, whether  its the French Onion Soup or the soup of the day, its usually excellent.  Sometimes they have a fried brie appetizer that is excellent, heavy, rich, and on occasion, the perfect thing to order.  They pork dishes they serve are always good and moist, not dry boring pork.  The ribs are just OK, not my favorite thing here.  The Shepherds Pie is excellent!  BIG portion of piping hot beef covered in creamy mashed potatoes.  The fish and chips are also very good, although a bit greasy.  Overall almost everything I've had here is excellent, highly recommended for pub food in Astoria.